Prince Harry tells households grieving over youngsters who died after utilizing social media: ‘None of you should be here’
Prince Harry has met with bereaved families in Los Angeles, who are suing Meta, Instagram’s parent company, and Google’s YouTube, claiming their platforms deliberately addict and harm children.
In an emotional address to a group of British families who have said their children died after being exposed to harmful content on social media, the prince told them: “None of you should be here.”
The Duke of Sussex, joined by his wife, Meghan, spoke to the families after the start of a landmark court case in California examining whether the social media platforms contributed to mental‑health crises among young users.
In a BBC video of the event, Harry appeared visibly moved as he praised parents for speaking up.
“Thank you for doing everything that you’ve done. Thank you for telling your stories over and over again. Truth, justice and accountability – those are the three things that will come from this.
Drawing on his own recent legal battles, Harry told the group that challenging powerful institutions could feel overwhelming. “This is a David versus Goliath situation,” he said. “If you are sitting in court and feel overcome with emotion because of what is being said on the other side… that is totally normal. Do not feel ashamed, even if the judge asks you not to show emotion.”
He added, “None of you should be here. Thank you for everything you have done, for telling your stories over and over again. Truth, justice and accountability – those are the three things that will come from this.”
“By sharing your stories and by being here you have already saved, probably, thousands if not hundreds of thousands of lives because more parents around the world are aware of the damage, the danger and the harms of social media.”
Among the parents attending was Ellen Roome, whose 14‑year‑old son, Jools Sweeney, died at home in Cheltenham in 2022. She believes he may have been attempting an online challenge and has been seeking data from TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, to understand what happened.
Roome is campaigning for “Jools’ Law,” a proposed amendment to United Kingdom legislation that would require automatic preservation of a child’s social‑media data after their death.
The meeting came as Harry and Meghan put out a statement on their website, describing the lawsuit as a “pivotal moment” for families seeking accountability from technology companies, with Meta and Google facing claims from hundreds of families.
At the core of the case is a 19-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could determine how thousands of other, similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out. KGM claims her use of social media from a young age addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. The lawsuit claims this was done through deliberate design choices by tech companies seeking to make their platforms more addictive to children to boost profits.
Meghan and Harry also pointed to growing international action. This week, Spain announced plans to restrict social‑media access for children under 16, following similar moves in Australia, France, and Denmark.
While such bans do not address what they call the “broken design” of many platforms, Harry and Meghan said they force companies to stop treating young users as “entities to extract data from at all costs.”
“Protecting childhood is a societal responsibility, not just a parental one,” the statement said.
“Court cases may finally force platforms to answer for design choices they have long avoided acknowledging.”
The couple urged the public to support families who have “paid the ultimate cost in losing a child” and continue to campaign for stronger protections online. They launched the Parents’ Network in 2024 through their Archewell Foundation to support families affected by online harms.
Source: independent.co.uk
